Creating an Effective Hotel Management Structure

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An effective hotel management structure is a plan defined and designed by the hotel owner or management. It relates to the various departmental functions and responsibilities within the organization. Hotels, like every other organization, needs to have some structure in order to have some order.

Every aspect of the operation needs to be considered. This structure helps attain maximum operational performance and profit. A hotel, regardless of its size and manpower, can run efficiently as long as there an established hotel management structure. This is particularly true if everyone understands it. But how do you set up an effective hotel management structure?

Establish the Organizational Objectives

In order for a hotel management structure to work, organizational objectives should be clearly defined and established. The objectives will help determine the kind of structure that the company needs. They respond to the internal and external needs of the hotel. It will be easier to determine how to address these needs if the objectives are clearly defined.

The hotel may schedule weekly meetings in order to discuss with various departmental heads the various issues and problems affecting the department. This is an example of an internal objective. External objectives may involve human resource pooling goals or pricing schemes during weekdays or holidays.

Define the Chain of Authority within the Organization

A well-established hotel management structure will have clearly defined and described the chain of authority within the organization. This is known as the “span of control”. This can involved either a wide span or a narrow span of control. In the former, everyone within the structure is expected to report to the general manager. This is not the case with the narrow spans of control.

Usually, authority and responsibilities are delegated, so not everyone has to report directly to the hotel’s general manager. One may have to go through department heads or supervisors who will address concerns and issues concerning their departments.

The size of the hotel may determine the kind of system it needs. A small hotel may need a wide span of control while a bigger hotel may need the narrower kind. In a small hotel, the general manager can easily oversee everything. He is likely on the site overseeing the daily operations. This is not the case, however, with a bigger hotel. A narrow span of control is more appropriate. This allows issues and problems to be address faster. The general manager may find it hard to manage every aspect of the operation.

Clearly Define Departmental Duties and Responsibilities

Usually, there are five departments involved in hotel operations. These are the Human Resource, Accounting, Marketing, Food and Beverage and Housekeeping. It is important that the responsibilities and duties of each of these departments are clearly defined and understood.

It helps if the management creates an organization flow chart. The hotel management structure is easier to understand if it is depicted in an organizational flow chart. Of course, the structure will differentiate from one hotel to another depending on the size and needs of the hotel. A small hotel, for instance, will likely only have a two to three-level flow chart. The owner may be at the top, followed by the general manager and connecting to that level are the difference departments like the maintenance, housekeeping and reservations. This is not the case, however, in bigger hotels especially chain hotels. There are additional management levels that are not present in smaller establishments. The flow chart may show four to five levels.

The organizational flow chart is crucial to establishing a hotel management structure with clearly defined responsibilities. Each job title should be clearly stated with corresponding responsibilities.

About the Author

Matthew Goudge - Visit Website
Australian Chef- Matthew Goudge is the mastermind behind the formation of the chef21blog platform. Since the initial humble beginnings Chef Matthew has been dedicated to creating this very network. Chef Matthew has been in the culinary field for a mere 21 years. He has worked in numerous locations including; Australia, Austria, England, Malaysia, China and St Lucia. Matthew’s first steps in the field of article writing began at the tender age of nineteen; whereby he contributed a weekly story for a local newspaper in coastal New South Wales, Australia.

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Posted on Saturday, December 19, 2009 at 10:12 pm
Filed under Industry Insight, Management · Tagged with hotel management structure